The Love Within: A New Beginning
by NeverBeforeOrAgain
Summary: Sequel: The Love Within... Violet and her friends head out, away from Mt. Frolic into the real world, escaping the Hunters. But for how long? Will never truly be safe from their grasp or must they run forever? Can Violet and Chance's new love handle the stress? Can Theresa win Jack's love, or be rejected? Who knows, Maybe we'll meet new friends to travel with. I DONT OWN POKEMON!
1. Chapter 1

I look to the left, to see that Theresa was already struggling with her bag and we weren't even to the bottom of the mountain. _You'd think that since she'd been traveling ever since the age of 10, she would travel lightly. _I shook my head smiling, then turned to my head to the right. Chance an Jack were talking about going somewhere called Qurxoon Falls.

"Where's that?," I ask them, butting into the conversation.

"It's very far away, dear little Violet. Farther than your imagination has ever dared to take you," Jack responded, leaning down to me with a devilish grin, "Are you ready to go that far?"

I smile cockily," I was born ready!"

He laughed and straightened up, "Good, it'll be a long trip."

I linked tails with Chance and smiled, "I'm glad." He winked at me as we reached the base of the mountain. I started to turn right when Chance pulled me back.

"Where are you going?," he asking chuckling.

"Oh.. Well, I thought we weren't going in this way," I say trying to defend my actions," This is the way we came in last time."

"Exactly," he replied.

I looked at him puzzled," Why would we come in this way? Won't the hunters be in this area still?"

"Nope," Jack jumped in," They will assume we will do what you had previously thought, to go in a different way. They will be expecting us to go somewhere different, so we will go in the same way. One step ahead," he said confidently.

"Wow, that's a good idea," Theresa spoke up, "who thought of that?"

"Me," said Jack trotting forward into the brush, Chance went with him, to scout out the trail.

"Woah," Theresa whispered to me," he is smart, too. God, he's hot!"

"Tone it down there, cowgirl. We aren't even into the Forrest yet," I whisper back.

"Okay, fine! I just can't help it," she giggled into her paw. I rolled my eyes, hiked my bag up higher and continued into the woods.

"Wait!," Theresa called, running up to me," How should I play this, Vi? Should I be the quiet, shy girl? Or the-"

I scoff," As if, you couldn't be quiet or shy if your life depended on it and I think Jack knows it."

"Urg, you're right. I guess I'll be the cute, innocent girl, who laughs at everything he says. Or I could be the hot, tamale that is so sexy, he begins to want me, then..."

"Theresa!," I stop and turn so were face to face," If you have to pretend to be somebody else, maybe it's not meant to be, you know? You should be yourself and if he isn't into that, then he isn't for you."

"She looked shocked and embarrassed," I use these routines all the time, Violet." She brushes past me, so I jog to catch up to her, and she continues," and they have all been 100% effective," she huffed at me.

I rolled my eyes again," Yeah, but for how long, Theresa? Maybe of you were just yourself, you could have a real meaningful relationship," I try to convince her.

She turned to me," Just you wait, he'll fall head over heals in love with me. ALL OF ME!," with that she ran ahead, past Chance, to walk by Jack. She started to chatter away at him and I knew he was not liking any bit of it. Chance peered back at me, once Theresa had ran past, and looked at me questionably, I shrugged in response. He stopped to wait for me and we walked together.

"What was that about?"

"Uhm, you know. Girl stuff," I tell him. He just give me a look, telling me is totally unconvinced. I in hale a deep breath," Well... you know. She like Jack, and I tried to tell her to be herself... but she doesn't think it'll help her."

"I don't think anything would help her," he mumbled and I nudged him in the ribs. He grabbed them dramatically," Ow! You're so abusive."

"Shut up," I laugh, leaning into him as we walk," Do you remember taking this trail?"

"How could I forget?," HE rests his head on mine as we walk," That night was perfect." I take me head away from his chest and look at him likes he's crazy. "Well, It was perfect up to a point," he smiles.

"Yeah, it was. I wouldn't change it though," I tell him.

"Me either," he licks my cheek, I just smile and enjoy his company. The early morning is dark and beautiful, not too hot and slight breeze that blows through the trees. The moon is hidden behind the tree tops and shinning through certain spots on the trail. I hope everyday can be like this. _No stress. No hunters. No problems. Just us._

I hear a rustle in the bush nest to us and my ears perk up instantly. I feel Chance stiffen next to me and we slow our pace to a halt. The rustle comes again and Chance moves me behind him and I hear him growl in the back of his throat, daring something to jump from the bush. Nothing does. He stands there a moment longer before he relaxes his muscles, and turns back to me.

We start to walk on when a voice booms from the trees," I see that you have returned."

Chance jumps and guards me again, snarling and barking at the treeline viciously. Jack hears Chance's attack mode has been activated from down the trail, and comes galloping towards us with Theresa sprinting next to him.

"Silence your dog, girl. He annoys me," the old milky voice says in sharp abrupt tone.

"Chance, Stop," I tell him. _That voice? Where did I know it?_ Chance whimpers and turns back to me, waiting for me to explain, so do Jack and Theresa.

"Thank you. Mhmmm. I see that my advice was quite helpful, was it not?," the voice is quieter and less threatening. _THAT VOICE?! It was the voice that had spoken to me while I was running from the Hunters._ I remembered her terrible temper. _Better be nice_, I thought.

"Y-Y-Yes... Yes it was ma'am. I can't thank you enough," I saw bowing slightly. I can't help but feel ridiculous._ There isn't even anything to bow to? Your are being nice to a voice, Violet? You look insane. Why are you bowing?! It's not like she's royalty._

"Ahhhh, I see your manners have very much improve since our previous encounter," she says pleased. "Oh... I see you have brought some new friends with you as well. One of them is the boy who was caught, which one is he?"

"Thank you, ma'am," I stand up and go sit by Chance," This is Chance, the boy who was captured."

"Very good," she cackled giddily," I'm happy that you could save him... for now."

"Wait! What do you mean for now?," I beg her to tell me.

"It's too clouded...," she mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me," Theresa interrupted," Just exactly, Who are you?," she said in a rude, obnoxious tone.

"Who am I?," the old voice responds," Who am I? I am wondering the same of you, small Victini! Who are you to question me, Theresa?!," she bellows, making the trees shake.

Theresa cowered, shaking violently, she swallowed the lump in her throat," How do you know my name?," she squeaked terrified.

"Theresa the Victini, why do you care to know who I am? I know you because unlike you, I'm not blind to the furute," the voice continues in her angry tone, talking to me," You keep extremely rude company, Vulpix."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Sometimes my friend can speak before thinking," I explain.

"No-," Theresa tried to defend herself, but Jack covered her mouth, muffling her words. She struggled against him, thrashing wildly, but he remained calm and in control. She stopped flailing and relaxed against him, looking up at him with big dreamy eyes.

"How rude to just interrupt," the voice grumbled to herself.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But what did you mean, I'd saved Chance for now?," I asked desperately.

"I can't see it, girl. My vision is gone, because of your _friend _distracting me," she said," The only way to know for sure now, would be to take a reading."

"Can we take a reading, please ma'am," I ask taking a step towards the trees.

"Readings can be tricky, young Vulpix. Once I tell you your future, you will always know. It will not change. There is no going back. Can you handle that kind of knowledge," she asks. I looked to Chance then Jack and Theresa. Jack gave me a sharp nod, he wanted to do it.

I turn to Chance again," Chance..."

"Yes, I want to know," he says to me. "Please, miss, will you read my future?," he said loudly to the trees, his voice shaking slightly.

"If you so desire, young Growlithe. I will do so," and the bushes rustled again. A figure stood up in the shadow's of the trees and approached us, gliding over the bushes gracefully.


	2. Chapter 2

The pokemon behind the mysterious voice finally revealed itself, she was a Gardevoir. She glide gracefully towards Chance her white train flowing behind her, her ruby red eyes never looked away from him. _Of course! Now it makes a since. Gardevoir is one of the psychic pokemon that has the ability Future Sight. Okay, now it makes since how she knew about saving my village._

"Relax your mind," she spoke softly to Chance, snapping me from my daze," Close your eyes and relax." She put her forehead against Chance's and place her hands on either side of his head, concentrating. In that moment they looked slightly like lovers and t made my blood boil, but I repressed it, taking deep breaths.

"Mhmm," she said, pulling her head from Chance's. He collapsed and started breathing heavily, I ran to his side quickly.

"Are you alright?," I ask pulling him to his feet, checking for injuries.

"Yeah, It's just...Woah. Rush of pain," he chuckled still dazed.

"Mhmm," the Gardevoir repeated.

"What? What is it?," I asked curiously, turning so we could face her.

"It is not your future to hear, Vulpix. Growltihe," she addressed him," Do you wish to hear it in private or may I speak freely?"

"Go ahead...," he was still out of breath," Speak freely."

She closed her eyes and spoke," I see great happiness in your future, Growlithe. Laughing, smiling, good memories. I also see a brilliant love in your future...Ahhh, you are in love now, are you not?"

Chance placed his paw on mine," Yes, yes I am," he spoke smiling down at me. I blushed and nuzzled into his thick fluffy chest, still with one limb wrapped around him, supporting him.

"But, wait! Wait, I see... I see that this love in new and weak. Yes. It may not last, the journey you are following, it may falter and die." I gasped, shocked that that was even a possibility. What I felt for Chance was so real and alive, I could never imagine it dying and ending. I made my heart ache just thinking about it,

Gardevoir opened one eye and looked at me, telling me to remain silent. She continued,"I can also see happier side, where your love lasts through the ages, but it will take tremendous effort on both your parts to get there."

I look up at Chance, terrified and he looked down to me nervously. Before he could reassure me, the Gardevoir carried on with her reading, placing her fingers on her head,"Ahh, now I see it. I see you leaving. I see you leaving your friends, maybe not be your own choosing, but leaving nonetheless." She opened her eyes and gazed down on us, looking sadly sympathetic. " I hope that you can handle your future," she curtsies politely," As well as you handled your past."

Chance looks to me, then Jack, then back to me petrified and confused, to scared to speak. He swallows the lump in his throat," Thank you, miss. Thank you for reading my future... and my past?"

She nods her head respectfully," When you wish to look forward, you must also look back."

Chance nods slowly, considering it. "Since I have grown found of your Vulpix, I will read another future," she smiles, looking around at the group. I imagined her smile to be icy and cruel, but it was genuine and sweet. It brightened up the trail and made me feel happy inside.

"Me! Me, me, me! Oh, Please, Me!," Theresa pounced forward. "Please, if you would be so kind, Garedevoir as to read my future," Theresa knelled in front of her.

Gardevoir looked at her, considering it. "Is it okay with you, dear Vulpix?," she turned to me, waiting for my response.

_Me? Me? Why does it matter if I care? The other day, I was just a stupid girl to you... Why do I matter now? I don't control you. It your gift, you do as you please. _"Uhmm.. I don't mind..?"

"Okay then," she turned back to Theresa," Stand, Victini." Theresa jumped up like a rocket, probably not wanting to upset the Gardevoir again. Theresa was shaking slightly, terrified to be so close to her. "Be still," she whispered and placed her head on Theresa's. They stayed that way fro a moment, nobody moved, I didn't even breath until Gardevoir pulled away. Theresa opened her eyes and I let out my breath, her blue eyes were bulging with pain and fear and she, just like Chance, fell to the ground. I went over to her, to make sure she was okay.

"Theresa, are you all right?"

"It hurts... it hurts a lot," she whispered. I tried to help her stand, but she fell again, so I placed her sit on my back carefully. "What... What is my future?," she asked barely audible.

"Do I speak freely as I did before?," Gardevoir asked, her back turned to us.

"Yes," Theresa mumbled into my fur.

"In your future, little Victini, I see suffering. I see massive amounts of pain, that have to be endured physically and mentally. It may push you over the edge, so trust in your friend," she nodded to me," She will help with the pain. On the bright side, I see love," Gardevoir made a unrecognizable face," I believe it's love. It's very cloudy, I'm uncertain. Some more good news, I see you meeting with a loved one for the first time. I see one more bad news, betrayal. Someone close to you will betray you, my dear. It will be on a massive scale, completely unforgivable, so be careful," with that she opened her eyes and smiled again. It was so beautiful and perfect, it made me jealous.

She turned to me,"I hope that you will return, little Vulpix. I have grown found of you and hope you don't end in dismay, before coming to visit again."

"Why have frown found of me?," I ask confused.

"I don't quite know yet..." she said in a whimsical way, like it didn't matter, all she needed to know was that she liked me and that was enough.

"I'll try and come visit, okay?"

"Good. I wish to see you soon, dear one. Forgive me for our first encounter, I did not mean to be so cruel." _I can't believe it.. She is asking for my forgiveness? From me? What is happening?_

I smile at her, genuinely happy," It is all forgotten."

She grasped my paws in her hands," I am overjoyed." She peered into my eyes with her deep ruby iris'. I thought that maybe she was trying to read me, like she had done the others, but all she did was smile, then turn away. She glided back into the Forrest until she had completely dispersed, and never glanced back once.

After Gardevoir had gone, nobody moved. The sun started to peek over the horizon when Jack broke the silence, "Wow. What a way to start the day, huh Chance?"

"Yeah," Chance spoke unenthusiasticly," Great way to start the day."

"Well...," Jack swayed impatiently, " Let's get moving. We have stayed here to long."

"I'm so tired," Theresa said nuzzling into my back, closing her eyes.

I looked up at Jack, "I can't carry her." He rolled his eyes and knelled down so Chance and I could transfer her to his back. He stood up slowly, so Theresa wouldn't fall.

"I doubt I'll be able to walk at a normal pace with her laying on my back. If she was sitting, it would be fine, but like this, she could fall at any time," he told us unhappily.

"I don't think I'll be making a normal pace either, bud. Her doing that thing, really drains your energy," Chance said picking up Theresa's bag.

"I told you we shouldn't have brought her, look, it's not even the first day and she is already dead weight. LITERALLY!," he complained.

"Stop your whining," I tell him. "We have a long way to go, yes? So let's saddle up get moving," I brush past him, walking down the trail. I turn back to see Chance and Jack staring at each other in a shocked state. "Well... Are you we going or not?" They snapped out of it and Chance grabbed the bag while Jack started to follow me down the trail.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun rose as the day passed on, but we didn't stop unless it was to take a water break. We kept moving forward, and the whole time all I could remember was my date with Chance. I saw all the trees and herbs he mentioned and we even passed the cave of Moon Violets. Even with Theresa asleep on his back, Jack pressed on, never stopping. When she finally awoke from her nap at around noon, Jack happily kicked her off his back and we continued walking at a faster pace. Theresa, still in her drowsy sleepy state, walked over to me and started chattering away about what the Gardevoir had said.

"When she said there was love in my future, I could have died! I just know that she is talking about," she looked ahead, then whispered," Jack I mean come one! Who else is there?," she smiled triumphantly.

"Theresa," I saw in a low gentle voice," She also said you were going to suffer tremendously and the unforgivable betrayal... Doesn't that worry you?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm trying not to dwell on the bad," she said casually, running her paw through the bush next to us," I want to focus on the good parts, like the love! Besides," she nudged me playfully," I also have you to lean on."

I smile," Of course you do!"

Just then, she leaned in and whispered in my ear," So, did you talk about Chance's future yet?"

I tensed up a little bit, then looked ahead at the boys. They were laughing about something and Chance looked so content and joyful. Like he didn't hear that he was going to leave us, or that our love my not last. I looked down at the trail, holding in the tears, No," I managed to say," No we haven't."

Theresa put her limb around my back, rubbing my fur to soothe me," It's okay," she said to me lifting my chin with her other paw," He probably doesn't want to ruin the first day of travel. It's understandable, right? I mean, If you fight now, he probably thinks you'll go running back home."

My head perked up, _Oh, I guess so. I never though about it like that. _"Maybe you're right, Theresa. He'll probably talk to me tomorrow," I smile sadly.

"Of course he will," she said patting my back one last time before taking her paw away," And if he doesn't, then you bring it up. You guys definitely can't let this just hang in the air. You need to discuss it thoroughly and adult like. No screaming and running off.," she told me sternly.

I chuckle halfheartedly," Since when did you become a love expert?"

"Oh, sweetie. I've always been a love expert, this is just your first time needing my advice," she smile brilliantly. We both laughed, then jogged a ways to catch up to the boys.

It was late in the afternoon when Chance suggested a break, Jack agreed and we all collapsed onto the Forrest floor, grateful for the rest. Chance army crawled over to me," How you doing there, stranger?," he said grinning, like it was the cleverest thing in the world to say. I snorted a laugh, then looked at him. He seemed to be happy, his eyes were their normal dark hazel with honey swirls and green rims. He had his tongue hanging from his mouth, dripping with saliva and sweat, but he seemed to be genuinely happy.

"I'm doing good. How about you?," I ask politely, trying to choose my words carefully.

"I'm pretty good," he replied, nodding his head, confirming his mood. " You've been awful quiet today, something on your mind?," her peered down at me with his brown eyes clouding with concern.

"No," I say sarcastically. "Everything's fine, nothing life changing happened today," my voice was rising," It's not like a sorceress told you that you're going to abandon us and stop loving me!," I spoke loudly. Theresa turned to us and shook her head frantically, signaling that this was not talking it through like adults. I sighed deeply and turned away from him, looking at the trees. They were starting to look different, not like the tall Oak and Pines that surrounded my mountain. No, these trees were smaller and their bark was a pale white, while their leaves were a contrasting bright green. I looked at all of them one by one, observing them curiously, when a squirrel skittering caught my attention. It flew gracefully between these trees, his bushy almond colored tail followed him. I smiled, he was just a careless squirrel, he didn't care about us or our problems. This squirrel had his own agenda and was busy with his own little life, to busy to notice us.

"Violet..." Chance spoke in a soft, forgiving tone. I turned my head back to him and he spoke gently," Today... with the Gardevoir... it's a lot to take in, I know. But, if I dwell on it, then it will overcome me. I will be just a shell, always worried and never taking my normal risks," I turned away again, but he grabbed my chin with his paw and made me face him. "I love you, Violet. I want to be with you. It would take a lot of something bad for me to denounce those feelings, okay?," he said lowering his head to mine.

"Okay," I say barely above a whisper.

"Hey, just remember that she said we could make it, it will just take a lot of work. I would do anything to keep our love connected, there isn't a thing on this planet that could stop me, Violet, how about you?"

"Hell no!," I state, my voice squeaking slightly. "I guess, we just need to be positive..." Chance nods and I continue," Plus, she said you do have a lot of good memories ahead, so there's a bonus."

"Of course I have great memories ahead, I'll be spending everyday with you," with that he licked my cheek and I yelped at the surprise. "Besides, what could go wrong? It's just me and you... well and the others," he said absent mindedly.

I laughed a real laugh, the first one of the day," Chance, you make me happy," I tell him.

He laughed too," Violet, you make me the happiest pokemon that has ever lived," he spoke confidently, then toke serious turn," And I don't ever want that to change."

"Not a chance," I whisper into his ear and nuzzle into his chest. He wraps his paws around me and kisses my forehead, we cuddle like this until Jack announces it's time to move out.

"Wow, he is like a colonel in the army," I whisper to Chance.

"Tell me about," Chance says out of half his mouth, and we both laugh and stand up, ready to continue on our way.

The sun was now starting to sink, signalling that the day was coming to an end. The wind picked up, causing me to shiver and me teeth to chatter loudly. Clouds rolled in from the east, rumbling with thunder and crashing with lightening. A light sprinkle started to fall, making the wind seem even more vicious.

"We keep moving," Jack called from the front," Until we can find suitable shelter!"

I could barely hear him, the wind was so howling ferociously, whipping at me with its icy touch. I wrap my limbs around myself and march forward, _Just keep moving,Violet. If you keep moving, it'll keep you warm!_ Just then the wind whipped me again, causing my hair to stand on end and my legs to wobble._ Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving!_, I told myself over and over, hoping that I wouldn't freeze on the spot. The rain picked up into a full fledged storm, with the thunder crashing every few seconds. I look back to see if Theresa wanted to walk together to keep warm, but I couldn't see her. The rain was now pouring sideways, I couldn't see but a few inches in front of my face, my fur was drenched and starting to get to effect me. _So much for warm,_ I thought in dismay.

"THERESA!," I shout over the storm, but receive no answer,"THERESA!"

I turn back to the boys, but can no longer see them either. The rain was relentless and cold, chilling me to the bone. _I can't stay out on this... I'll die. It'll kill us all, we are all fire types._ I look around to find a shelter but, all I could see was rain. No trees, no bushes, no help. Just rain.


	4. Chapter 4

"HELLO!?," I shout against the icy wind,"CHANCE? JACK? ANYBODY!"

_I have to keep moving, or else I'll freeze. Keep moving, One step in front of the other, there you go. Again! Again! Again!,_ I mentally coached myself to keep stepping. The rain was starting to freeze to fur and to the ground making it very slippery, even worse, I was going uphill.

"THERESA!? CHANCE?! Jack!," My voice was fading, no one could hear me through the storm. It was hopeless. Not even a day into this adventure and I was going to die of frostbite. _Dad is never wrong_, I thought bitterly. The wind picked up and blew so hard, I slipped on the ice and fell backwards, tumbling down the hill. I hit rocks and trees, that I didn't even know where there while I had been climbing. Once I rolled to a top at the base of the hill, I didn't move. _What's the point?_, I thought as the rain pounded against my back, making me shiver and squirm. _I won't survive this...VIOLET! Pull yourself together, _my conscience spoke to me. _What about Chance? You can't give up on him! GET UP AND KEEP GOING!_

I tried to stand but I slipped on more ice, slamming into the ground again. Everything hurt, my back, my legs, my head. The rain was making it hard to breath, it was sucking the life from me, slowly but surely. There is _GET UP! GET UP!, _My conscience screamed to me. Wasn't it? No, someone was yelling at me through the storm...or was hallucinating.

"GET UP! GET UP!," A voice carried through the trees. I opened my eyes, but there was no one there. "GET UP!," A figure appears in front of me and bites me by the nape of my neck... hard. It hurts, especially when it starts to pull me upward, I moan with discomfort. His teeth were sinking into my skin, making the ache from my body seem less important.

"Chance"," I tried to turn but couldn't, my neck screamed with pain. "Chance!" He drops me and I fall onto the cold hard ground again, to weak to stand.

Chance bites my neck again, probably drawing blood and it sent signals of pain to my brain, as lifted me up as high as he could. My tails were drenched and too heavy to carry, so they dragged on the ground. Chance put me on his back, as soon as he did, I nuzzled into him and held on as he ran through the storm. He never slowed down or stopped even when the wind blew against him. The wind bite at me with its cold jaw, absorbing my life. I could feel myself slipping, not from Chance's back, but from reality. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for it all, there was not point in fighting.

Chance leaped over a tree on the trail, but luckily, I stayed on his back. Even though his fur was wet, it was still kind of spikey, and it was less fluffy than what I remember.

"Chance," I mumble into his fur," I love you..."

Chance doesn't stop running, he doesn't respond, either. I didn't raise me head to check, I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I rain was still falling heavily on us, when he took a sharp right, causing me to waver and grasp him tightly.

"Hang on," a gruff voice floated over the wind.

Chance pounced up, over whatever he was jumping, I struggled to hang on to his soaked body. "I'm slipping!," I yell, feeling my paws sliding through his wet fur. I dug my claws into his skin, feeling him flinch and tense from the shock.

"We're almost there," he replied. With one last jump, he landed and I no longer felt the rain on me. I opened one eye and saw I was in a dark room with rock walls. "Rest," he told me as he dropped me onto the floor next to a roasting fire. _Ow! Could you be more gentle? _ The fire felt amazing though, better than anything I had ever felt before. I cuddled up to it and rested my head on the floor, my eye lids to heavy to keep open.

"Thank you Chance," I whisper as I drifted off to sleep, while voices in the distance droned on into the night.

The next say I woke up with the sun streaming in on my face. I squinted and rolled away from its brilliant light, my back running into something soft and furry. _Chance._ I snuggled into it and yawned, opening my eyes. I stretch my legs, but pain courses through them, so I stop and yelp. The body beside me stirs and shifts, sitting up and yawning.

"Chance, I think I broke my leg."

"Actually, you broke your ankle," a deep sultry voice responds. A voice I had never heard before.

My eyes open, suddenly I am fully awake, and I turn my head slowly to the person beside me. Laying beside me is a black and gray dog, with eyes redder than the flames of hell. I whimpered with fear and tried to edge away, but my ankle throbbed terribly. The dog smiled flashing his fangs at me, but not in a threatening way. I couldn't help but be scared, he was a total stranger that I had...cuddled up to?! _EW! How did I get here?!_

"Who are you? What do you want? How did I get here?," I look around the cave trying to pinpoint my location.

"I am Nokto," he said while stretching out," You got here, because I rescued you. You're welcome by the way. And what I really want is a ham sandwich," he spoke placing his head in his paw.

"Nokto?..." his name was truly beautiful in a deep ancient kind of way. I glanced at him, he was staring at me._ He didn't seem very threatening and he DID rescue you_, so I relaxed... not all the way, but some. "Why did you rescue me?," I ask him, not moving.

"I was out in the woods doing patrols and there you were, so I told you to 'get up and get away' ya know? From our land. But you didn't move, I thought your were dead until you spoke," He licked his paw. He had some massive claws, that were sharp and long, they made me uneasy. " I'm not heartless enough to leave a dying girl in the rain," he said matter of factly.

"What do you mean 'our land'?," I ask curiously. _Are there more?_

"Well, my pack, duh," he said like I was stupid child. I growled in my throat. "No use in doing that," he said standing," You can't fight, you can't even stand. Why don't your turn off your high and mighty thinking and start being a little grateful, huh?," he walked to the mouth of the cave.

_Maybe he is right...He did rescue me from death. But he also is a complete stranger... Mhmmm. I should be polite, but nothing_ _more. He is still a little odd, for all I know he could be a murderer_. "Thank you," I called out to him, he turned back," for saving me," I finish looking to the floor embarrassed and unable to meet his sinical eyes.

"Well, well, well, look who is being nice all the sudden," he trotted back into the cave with a smug smile of satisfaction on his face.

"Stop smiling like that," I snap at him," You look ridiculous," I grumble.

"Ahh, there's the real you. There is no hiding it, Vulpix. You are feisty, crazy, little fox, aren't you? Running around in the rain, without a care in the world. Did you have a death wish?," he sat in the far corner near the entrance glaring at me. His bright red eyes made it feel like the devil himself was looking at me.

I look at the walls, instead of him,"Violet," I tell him. I glance back and see his head cocked to the right and his eyebrows bushed together. I roll my eyes," My name is Violet, duh," I repeat his childish tone. "And no, I did not have a death wish for your information. I was just... I was just lost."

He smirks again, straightening his head and staring me down again," That explains your eyes. At least your not all bad, I'm glad I didn't rescue some high maintenance priss," and with that he jumped up and left the cave.

"WAIT," I called after him,trying to stand and follow, but collapsing on the hard ground from the pain in my ankle. He popped his head back into view," Oh, yeah. I'll be back later," and he dodged out of sight again.

I didn't move my ankle was in so much agony, it was unbearable. I closed my eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. _Happy thoughts? Happy thoughts? Chance._ That was all I needed to smile and forget the pain. _Wait?,_ I open my eyes. _Chance. Jack. Theresa. _I sit up quickly, way too quickly, my ankle starts to throb again, but I press it to the back of my mind. _Where are they? _


	5. Chapter 5

I spent the whole day screaming at the top of my lungs for Chance. I even screamed for Jack and Theresa, but no one came. No one heard my cries for help, and if anyone did, they didn't come to help me. I didn't stop, I kept on pleading for anyone to come and help me, at one point I even screamed for Nokto. I was in pain and alone, I just wanted to be comforted and helped, but it didn't come. The sun was high in the sky before Nokto returned, strolling up to the cave casually with a bowl on his head.

"Hello, and how are you feeling this fine day," he asked pleasantly placing the bowl on the floor.

"Nokto, I need to leave. I can't stay here! My friends are probably worried about me! I need to find them," I begged him.

"So I see you have a lot of energy, you're most likely dehydrated. I brought you some water," he pushes the bowl to me.

"No, Nokto! I need to find them!," I push the bowl aside.

"Why? These friends of yours don't sound so great to me," he said sitting in the same spot he did yesterday, by the cave's entrance.

"How would you know?," I spat across the room," You don't know them at all!"

"Really?," he said," I may not know much about friendship, but I don't abandon my friends in a rain storm, especially if they are fire types," he stood up growling.

"That's not how it happened," I lowered my voice.

"How did it happen then," Nokto asked, still unconvinced.

"It was raining hard, you know that. We just got separated, it's nobodies fault. I'm sure that they are looking for me," I spoke assuring myself.

"Are they Vulpix," he asked walking to me.

"No, one is Ponyta, one is a Growlithe and the other is Victini,"I tell him.

"Odd pack you got there, Vulpix," he smiled. "They are all fire types, so they most likely ran for their own shelter, leaving out in the down pour. You deserve better than that, Vulpix. Everyone does."

"Stop calling me that!," I shake with rage. "My name is Violet. I told you this! I am not some wild animal, you...you stupid dog. If I knew what you were I wouldn't use your name either," I shout at him, with my eyes closed.

When I open them, he laying in front of me like a cat, ready to pounce. " You don't know what I am?," he asked offended.

"No..," I was exhausted, I had been yelling all day, I wanted to eat and rest.

"Mhmm. For your information I am a Mightyena, and I am not ashamed of what I am so feel free to address me by my type," he glare a tme with his red eyes burning.

"Ill just stick with Nokto," I retort snarkly,"It's shorter."

"My mother is outside, _Vulpix," _he said standing up, looking down on me. "I want to bring her in so she can dress your wounds, will you be civil?"

I roll my eyes," Of course I will," I snapped at him.

"I am not convinced," he lowered his head to mine.

"That's because you irritate me!" Nokto smirked and barked loud and clear, it rang off the walls. A slightly larger Mightyena entered the cave, with a wicker basket it's mouth. She looked just like Nokto, the red eyes and everything, it was scary. She walked to me and placed the basket it on the floor and smiled, she didn't speak, she went straight to work.

"Thank you," I say to her, while she runs me down with a cloth, she doesn't look up. I glance to Nokto," Does she hate me already?," I ask him. He throws he head back and laughs, ringing through the room, his mother looks up and speaks. She speaks in an odd language I have never heard before, with jutting and jerking syllables. Nokto responds to her in the language and I just listen to it, unaware of what they are saying. His mother nods and returns to rubbing me down.

"My mother," Nokto tells me," Doesn't speak pokemon."

"What do you mean she doesn't speak pokemon?! She** IS** a pokemon," I interject.

"She is, but she wasn't raised with it. She was raised by our tribe, our pack, and she was taught by her mother in the language of her people. She has never learned traditional pokemon," he explains.

"What is the language you speak then?," I ask, wincing as she applies alcohol to my cuts.

"We don't have a name for it. It's just our language. And to answer your question, No. My mother doesn't hate you," he smiles showing his fangs again. I shudder at the sight of them, they are creepy and scare me.

"How did you learn pokemon," I ask threw gritted teeth.

"We have a member who left when he was young, learned it and returned to teach us, now all children learn traditional pokemon as well as our native tongue," he tells me before his mother speaks again. They way she speaks is so beautiful and dark all at once, like a witch placing a spell on something.

"My mother says we need to put your ankle back into place before putting the cast on. It is broken and had popped out of place. This will be more painful than anything you can imagine, Violet," he speaks sincerely," Brace yourself. Grab my paw if you need to," he offers his paw and turns away, not wanting to watch his mother place my mangled foot back into place.

I fell Nokto's mother hold my ankle very gently, but it still hurt, I reached out and grabbed Nokto's paw for support. I take a deep breath,"GO!," I shout. Nokto relays the message and I hear a snap and my foot feels like it's been torn off. I scream with agony and squeeze Nokto's paw for dear life. I gasp for air, and feel her move my ankle again, sending the pain shooting up my leg. I scream again and squeeze Nokto's paw again, with even more force. I continue to scream loudly, It was all I could do to deal with the pain. I see dots in my vision and then it all fades to black.

This time when I awake, I'm not in a cave. I'm in a small room, with a lot of medical equipment around. They weren't shining like they should have been, they weren't made from metal. Half of the stuff was made from wood and the other have looked like teeth and claws. Most of it had dried blood on it from the last operation. _Was I the last Operation?_ I sat up and screamed in horror from what I was seeing. It was like a scary movie, I continued to scream as I ripped of the while blanket on top of me. I check for any signs of cuts, or scars, but all I saw was the cast on my gave me no relief, I continued on screaming until several Mightyena's came into the room. They looked like demons in he night, trying to kill me, so I started to thrash wildly to escape them. I felt a sharp pain in my leg for second, then it was gone. I looked down and saw that I had been injected, which only made my fear 10 times more real. Against all odds, yelled even louder until blackness enclosed my vision.

The second time I awoke in the room, I tried to get up but I had straps wrapped around my legs and torso. _What the hell? _I laid my head back and sighed_, How am I gonna get out of here?_

"I see you're awake," I deep familiar voice fills the air.

"Nokto? Is that you," I raise my head and look around the room.

Sure enough, there he is leaning against doorway, he flashed me his vampire smile. "Of course. Who else is brave enough to enter the room of the crazy fox?," he pushes from the door and comes to the bed.

"Is that really what your people are calling me?," I groan resting my head back on it's pillow.

He laughed," Yes, you caused quite some excitement. We all thought you were being murdered in here, but no, you were just screaming," he smirked confidently.

"Ugh, stop smiling like that, you look ridiculous," I grumble at him.

He laughs again," Are you going to keep being rude, or will you be nice and I'll undo your restraints."

I roll my eyes," Please, Nokto!"

He undoes my restraints and I sit up and try to jump off the table, but Nokto jumps in front of me, so I can't. "What are you doing," I snap at him.

"Did you forget? You have a broken ankle?," we both glance down at my cast.

_Shit! I did. _"No, I remembered," I tell him easing myself off the bed carefully, while pushing Nokto away.

"Follow me," Nokto says nodding his head towards the door," I have some people very anxious to meet you."

I limp after him eagerly, being careful of my cast, thrilled to be leaving the odd torture room behind.


	6. Chapter 6

I stepped through the doorway and a whole group of Mightyena were there. Staring at me. I froze, petrified of all the glowing red eyes and fangs in front of me. All of them looked alike, sitting straight and no one smiled. It almost looked like a creepy family portrait, expect for some Poochyena pups in the front that were smiling and wrestling.

"Nokto.." I whimper. All eyes turn to him, and he grins. He speaks to them in his native language, some of the Mightyena turn back to me, one of then licked their lips. I let out another small whimper," What is happening?"

Nokto turned to me," This is my family, Violet. They wanted to meet you, well technically they wanted to meet the new girl who has he whole pack gossiping, but same thing," he winked.

I swallowed my fear,"Why do they all look...hungry?," I whisper cowering behind him, afraid of all of them.

He chuckled," Don't be so naive, Vulpix, you have too much fur," he whispered then spoke up," You've met my mom," he walks to the line of Mightyena. "This is my father," he nods to a large, muscular Mightyena next to his mom. Once he introduced them to me, he spoke his language to introduce me to them. "My Aunt, My uncle, my other uncle.." he rambled labels with walking down the line. It was all so confusing, since they all looked alike, no differences at all, except for his grandmother who had more gray hair than the rest. He went to the front and pulled one of the Poochyena's from a wrestling match.

"This little monster is my brother, Xap. Watch out!," he threw the boy in my face without letting him go. The boy wasn't really scary, but the sudden movement caught me off guard. I screeched and back away, all his family chuckled and laughed at my cowardliness. "He might just eat you... if he hasn't had his snack yet," he shrugged and put the pup on the ground. The pup stuck his tongue out and then retreated behind the group of his relatives. Nokto laughed and started to walk away from his family, down the trail of the Forrest, I began to follow, but then turned.

"It was nice to meet you all," I smile and jogged to catch up to Nokto. "You have a lot of family!"

"I haven't even introduced you to my sisters," he smirked," and yeah, that's what happens when no one leaves or moves," he sighed.

"You have sisters," I was intrigued.

"Yes, my baby sister Darah and my older sister, Tusma," he frowned," I don't think I'll have you meet Tusma."

"Why not?," I asked offended. "Is she that rude?"

Nokto turned to me," Do not speak ill of my family, you have only just met them and haven't had the chance meet my sister," he said irritated. "You think you're so great don't you? High and mighty Vulpix." He looked at me in disgust and turned away.

"That's not what I meant at all!," I ran in front of him. " You just accuse me of all these things but give me no time to explain. If anyone is acting high and mighty here, its you," I stared him down. His red eyes burn into me, making me feel more uncomfortable than I did back there in front of his parents. _I am such an idiot, he is gonna kill me. Or have his pack do it, same thing. _

He looked away first, turning his face to the sky, humming slightly," Okay, fine. Explain what you meant," he returned his gaze to mine, but I looked away and started walking again.

"What I meant was, you just introduced me to your whole family, Nokto. When I say that, I mean your WHOLE FAMILY! And to be honest, not all of them seemed to thrilled to meet me," I glanced to him briefly.

He nodded while looking at the ground," Yes, that is true."

"Sooo... I was just thinking, that if the members of your family that didn't want to meet me, came to see me, what would be so bad about your sister? That's all, no high and mighty thinking, just curiosity," I look to the trees, avoiding his gaze.

It stayed silent for a few minutes until spoke," Okay...," he paused," I can see your thinking in that. Alright, I'll tell you. Tusma doesn't really like any other kind of pokemon, only Mightyena and Poochyena. Usually there is no problem, most pokemon living nearby know to steer clear of our tribe, but since you were just passing through and in trouble, I made an exception. When she heard I rescued you, a Vulpix, she refused to speak to me... she still hasn't yet."

I turned my head back to Nokto," I'm sorry," I bow my head," for causing so many problems in your pack."

He looked to me," It's not you. There are always problems in a family, especially mine," he smirked," But you do add on to it," he nudges me.

I chuckle," You could say that again. My family is pretty messed up... and your welcome?"

"What's so bad in your perfect little world, Violet. Did your parents say no to you?," he asked widening his eyes in fake sympathy.

I roll my eyes," Forget it."

"Violet, wait. I'm sorry. I can be an ass sometimes, but you should know that by now. Tell me. I want to know," his said, his eyes were sincere and apologetic.

"Fine. My parents kinda... well they kind of don't want to see me anymore. Not until I break up with my boyfriend," I tell him._ Boyfriend? Chance was my boyfriend, wasn't he? We had never made it official, but the 'I love you' is kind of a relationship definer. Yeah, he is basically your boyfriend._

"That's harsh. What so bad about your boyfriend, did he kill someone? Is he like 30 or something?," Nokto asked curiously.

"What?," I snorted in disbelief," No! Nothing like that. He is just not... Uhm, well... My parents don't approve that I'm dating a Growlithe."

"Oh, is that it? That is so stupid," he mumbled.

"Ohh really?," I say matter of factly," Are you trying to say that if you brought home a Pidgey as your girlfriend, your parents would be okay with it?"

"Uhmmm, No," he laughed," But unlike you I don't have a lot of choices. I can date this Mightyena...or maybe that one, there is no variety."

"True," I say, thinking about how hard it must be not to meet too many different Pokemon types. I was always meeting new pokemon on account of my job. Never meeting any new types, must make some of them closed minded, Nokto was. Always calling me spoiled and thinking I look down on him, he had a long way to go before he could begin to understand other pokemon.

"You're family have very... unusual names," I speak, choosing my words carefully, trying to change the subject.

"Maybe to you," he replied," But to my people they make sense."

"Do they have meaning?"

"Yes," he saw that I was expecting an explanation, and he sighed. "Most people believe Mightyena to be evil and cruel because we are Dark Pokemon, so my mother named us all Dark names. My name, Nokto means Night in Esperanto."

I look at him like he has gone crazy, and he rolls his eyes," Esperanto is a human language."

"How does your mom know human languages, but not know simple pokemon?," I ask confused.

He rolled his eyes again, annoyed,"My grandmother used to be a pet pokemon, but her trainer got bored with training pokemon so he released them all. You know that once you are caught in a pokeball you learn all human languages?" I nod and he continues," Well, my grandmother returned and started a family, and when my mother had my sister, she wanted to be ironic and name us all kind of evil names. You know, in spite of everyone thinking we already are evil? So, my grandmother helped her by using the human languages. Mine, is Esperanto. Tusma is 'darkness' in Lativan, Xap is 'black' in Mongolian, and Darah is 'blood' in Indonesian," he smiled proudly, flashing his pointed teeth. "A lot of our pack thought it was quite clever and are now doing the same with their own children."

"Oh... I guess that makes your mom a trend setter," I smile a fake smile, not knowing what to say._ What am I supposed to say to that? That cool, your mom has a wicked sense of humor._

He laughs," I guess you could s-" Nokto was saying when he was knocked the ground. He fell into me, knocking me over too, making me tumble and my ankle scram in agony. Even in it's cast, extreme movement hurt like a bitch.

I was pushed into the bushes on the opposite side of the trail, I didn't try to move at first because of my ankle. I heard grunting and growling coming from the path and I was scared. _What if it's the Hunters? How can I run and get help? _I crawled to peek out through the leaves and saw the fight that was happening. Nokto and some orange dog were biting and clawing at each other. _Wait? That's not some random orange dog, its.._

"CHANCE!"


	7. Chapter 7

The orange dog turned to me and I saw his brilliant face. It was him! My heart raced with joy and all previous pain of falling had melted away. _It's Chance! _When he saw me, his eyes seemed to relax, just a little, and he began to walk to me, until Nokto pounced on him, biting his neck.

"No! Nokto, STOP!," I screamed from my hiding spot, crawling onto the trail slowly. He must have not heard or not cared, because he only tightened his grip. Chance snarled and started bucking, trying to through Nokto off, but all it did was make him tighten his grip. The pain was visible on Chance's face, he stopped thrashing and fell to the ground, Nokto still on his neck.

"Nokto! STOP! LET HIM GO!," I screeched, trying to stand. "PLEASE NOKTO! That is the boy I told you about!" Nokto's eyes looked to me, but his jaw remained locked on Chance's neck. "Nokto, please stop!," I wobbled over to them.

Nokto opened his mouth and spit our orange fur, while backing away from Chance's body.

"Chance! Chance!," I bent over him horrified by all the blood. "Chance, answer me! Please!"

"...Violet..," he whispered in a hoarse voice. I bent down and put my paws up against his neck wound,"Chance...," tears stung my eyes. Blood kept rushing out, I turned to Nokto," Go get help," I said, but he wasn't there. He was gone, it was just Chance and I alone.

The tears were streaming down my face," Chance, hang on. Hang on... Just hang on!" He closed his eyes and his breathing was so shallow, I didn't know if he was breathing at all. "CHANCE! CHANCE, LOOK AT ME!," I screamed while my paws were slipping on all the blood, his fur was now a dark burgundy color around his shoulders. Chance's eyes flickered open looking around, they were glossy and unfocused.

"Oh God... oh god...please. Chance, stay with me!," I tell him, refusing to let go. I heard a deep rumble in the distance, I look up and see dust on the path down a ways. I squint to get a better look, but all I saw was tiny dust storm getting closer and closer. I looked back at Chance, his eyes were starting to close, and his body seemed to be going limp. "Chance," I sobbed hysterically, wrapping my limbs around him. "Don't leave me."

At all I once, he was being ripped away from me, I was sitting alone on the road. I couldn't see anything, the dust was so thick, making it hard to breath. It started to clear and I saw Mightyena surrounding something a few feet in front of me. _What are they doing? What are they doing to Chance? Are they attacking him?...Are they eating him? _I jumped up quickly, sending sharp jolts of pain from my ankle to my brain, "GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU SICK BASTARDS!," I race to the pack, jumping on one's back, pulling him away.

"Get away!," I yell while scratching at his face, he growls and throws me from his back to the ground, snarling. He turned to me with his red eyes glowing and fangs showing before returning to the circle around Chance. I get up again determined to save Chance and start to charge...well limp, at them, until Nokto steps into my path.

"Stop! Violet, stop!," He grabs me around the waist as I try to move around him. I keep trying to get to Chance, against his strength it was useless and we fall onto the ground. "They're helping, Violet! Can't you see? They are saving his life," he says into my ear fiercely," Calm down. Calm down. They're only helping."

I look over and see them running around placing IVs in him and applying bandages. _They are helping... _Without any warning, I start sobbing again. He looked so dead and unresponsive, like there was no hope. Nokto released his grip on me as I wept uncontrollably in his lap, staining his dark fur with my tears.

"Why," I cried. "Why did you do this," I pull away from him staring at the pack of Mightyena surrounding the only guy I had ever loved.

"Violet.. I didn't mean.. I mean, It's not my fault that he attacked me."

"IT IS YOUR FAULT! You fucking bite his neck, Nokto! I mean.. Who fucking does that?! Even after I said to stop, that he was no threat!," I screamed through my tears.

"Look, you need to-" Nokto started to say.

"NO! I DON'T NEED TO ANYTHING!," I yell, then turn to him with disgust," You killed him. You are the one who did this"

He opened his mouth in shock, speechless. " Violet... I-I-I can't believe you would say that.. I-I-I-I tried t-to save you."

I look away from him, not interested in his excuses. All I needed to know was that he killed Chance, nothing would justify it. **Nothing.** Nokto walked around to sit in my line of vision, "Violet, I thought he was attacking us, so I pushed you away! Don't you see I was trying to protect you? I thought he was just some wild dog who was going to kill us! If I wanted to kill him, why would I have gotten help? Are you even listening to me?," he tried explaining, but stopped. "Yeah, you know what, sure. Yup, I killed him. Murderer right here! MURDERER RIGHT HERE," he shouted looking into the sky with his limbs outstretched, waiting for punishment," Killed this guy just because I can, I'm a vicious monster. I am pure evil, right? You know what, Fuck you Violet."

What he said didn't hurt me, how could someone feel pain if they're paralyzed? I was already dead, too, at least I felt like it. The world seemed to have lost all color, turning gray and dull right in front of my eyes, like all the joy was gone. _It is_, I thought. _Chance is my definition of perfection. He is happiness... at least he was._

One of the Mightyena started to speak to Nokto, saying something fast and urgently, Nokto nodded. The Mightyena all began to move at once, placing Chance on some of their backs, being careful of his tubes and wires.

"What? What's happening?," I ask. Nokto just turned away and began to follow his pack down the path. "NOKTO! What is happening," I hobble beside him.

"Your boyfriend isn't dead," he states blankly, looking straight forward, like I wan't even there.

"What? Can they save him? Will he be alright?," I hobble faster.

"No one can say," he turned to me with a hard, unpleasant stare," Go back to the cave. Do not return to my village," with that he ran ahead to his pack, talking to them quickly, leaving me behind.

"WAIT! WAIT, DON'T GO! I need to be with Chance!," I call out to them, but they continue to rush onward, ignoring my plea. I try to run after them, but stumble over my cast and face plant into the ground. _Ow. My face hurts._ _They're gone now... I'm alone._ I lift my head from the dirt and, sure enough, the road is empty. I put my head back on the road, laying there, not moving.

_What has happened to my life? Everything is wrong. None of this should have happened. What if this is a sign that I was wrong to leave home? What is my life becoming? What if Chance doesn't make it? What if I cant find Jack or Theresa? What if those Hunters have them? What if Nokto never comes back to tell me about Chance? ...What if I just never moved from this spot. I could just lay here forever. That might be nice. Too bad reality isn't nice, _I think as I stand up from the dirt. _I need to be strong for Chance. He needs me, but I can't go back to the village. What can I do...?_ I sigh loudly,_ I have to listen to Nokto._

I walk towards the village, towards Chance, but I know I won't go that far. I'll have to stop short and wait in a cave, like a cowardly fox. _I am a cowardly fox._ There was nothing more I could do to help Chance, going to the village was suicide and Nokto wasn't heartless enough to not keep me informed about Chance. _Was he?_


	8. Chapter 8

It was dark when I finally made it back to the cave. I start a fire and cuddle close to it, remembering when I first woke up in this cave and how arrogant Nokto had been. But also sweet he was, especially when he saved me from the storm. I replayed the last couple days in head, Nokto saving me, getting his mom to help my ankle, introducing me to his family, our talk, the fight. In all of it Nokto was arrogant, maybe rude, but he wasn't evil. On the contrary, he was very generous and understanding... but still rude.

_I am such a bitch. When did I become this person? I don't want to be this person. Nokto had helped me and then tried to save me and how did I repay him? By ignoring him and accusing him of murder. When did I become this person?, _a tear slide down my cheek. _I don't want to be this person. I need to fix this._ I lift my head from the ground, but outside it is dark and gloomy. _I just have to wait until Nokto comes to see me. _I put my head back onto the floor and closed my eyes, drifting slowly to sleep.

That night I had a dream about Chance and Nokto, but it was terrible. The worst nightmare I had ever had in my entire life. The Hunters came to Nokto's village and started to burn their homes, making them come out. The Mightyena began to attack, but the Hunter's cut them down, killing them instantly with their blades. I run to find Chance, but instead I ran into the human girl. She saw me and laughed, then reached down and picked up a Poochyena from the ground. It was Xap. She turned back to me and smiled as she placed the blade to his throat, then cut Xap's head off. I scream in horror and tried to run away but, the man hunter catches me and throws me into a pit with Nokto. I was happy to see him alive and unharmed, but he growled at me. "Nokto? What's wrong?", I ask him. He snarled at me, his red eyes were burning brightly, then they faded to black. Pitch black, they had no color at all. Nokto lunged onto me, throwing me backwards, digging his long claws into my chest. "NOKTO! NOKTO, GET OFF," I yelped in pain. He grinned smugly," I'm a murderer, remember?," and then he reached down and sunk his teeth into my throat, then tore my neck open.

I sat up screaming and thrashing trying to get Nokto of me, but he wasn't there. I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly, but I was back in the cave, alone and safe with the sun shinning through the opening. I was breathing heavily, trying to calm myself down but I kept seeing his eyes change from red to black. Changing into a terrifying beast who ripped my throat out! I lay back down and close my eyes, _Gosh... I'm hungry. _I sat up again,_ I wonder where some food would be in this Forrest. Ill go to the river and see what's there, _I stand up and waddle to the cave's entrance.

_I can't leave! What if Nokto comes back and I'm not here!? _I sit down and take a deep breath, the sun is high in the sky shinning brightly, making my fur start to sizzle. I walk back into the cool darkness of the cave,_ I wonder when he will come? When he does, what am I going to say? I have to apologize. What if he never comes? What am I gonna do, _I bow my head and feel tears prickling in my eyes.

"Mhh Hmm," Someone clears their voice behind me, I turn around quickly. Nokto is standing in the cave's entrance, staring me down with his vicious cool eyes.

"Hello," I whisper, afraid to speak too loudly.

"Violet," he says me name coolly and emotionlessly.

"Nokto... Nokto, I'm so sorry... I-I-I don't know what came over me. I-I'm so sorry," I stammer, my voice is low and cowardly," When I said those things... I don't know," I look to the floor with no good excuses for my behavior.

"Forget it," he says gruffly." What was I suppose to suspect? I just don't understand you, or anyone else outside my tribe..," his voice fades and I look up at him. He is looking a the floor of the cave, concentrating hard. " You didn't even know what I was, Violet... but you still pegged us as murderers. Is that what the world is like? Is it that cruel?"

"No, No, I promise. The world is amazing, but I'm... I'm just a rude Vulpix, remember?" I rush to reassure him. Nokto raises his face to look at me, he wasn't angry, he was hurt. At the moment I knew that I could never convince him of the good in the world, I had destroyed his idea of society. "I wouldn't really know either. I've lived on a mountain all my life, this is my first trip away. The world has to be better, it just has too.." at this point I'm reassuring myself more than him.

Nokto sucked in a deep breath," I hope you are right...," he turned away to look at the wall.

"Nokto... Nokto, how is Chance?," I ask him, trying not to sound rude or inconsiderate, but it was killing me not to know.

He didn't turn to look at me, he continued to look at the wall and whispered," Stable."

I sighed with relief," That's great... Thank God."

"Yes," Nokto chuckled" God."

I walk over to him," I can never thank you enough, Nokto. Thank you...so much. You saved him."

"I also am the one who caused it."

"That's true, but you fixed it. A person's mistakes don't define them, how they fix them does."

He chuckled softly," Where did you get that? A magazine?"

I set my tone serious, I knew he didn't want to talk about it but I had to tell him," You are not a murderer, Nokto. You are not even close. I know you try to act like it doesn't matter what other's think but I want you to know that I don't think you are. You are an amazing guy and I am grateful for everything you have done to help me."

Nokto turns to me and he so close to me, I didn't realize how close I had gotten. His eyes were a darker red than before, less scary and more insecure. "Violet," his says my name softly in his deep gruff voice,," I think that I love you."

I stopped breathing. _Love me? You barely know me? I barely know you... And all the time you have known me has been mostly insults. I love Chance. _"Nokto... I-I-I"

"Don't speak," he interrupted. " I know you don't like me like that. I bet you think I'm some creep who has only known you for a couple days, so I have made a decision," he paused and looked at the floor. I still couldn't wrap my head around it, _he loves me? **What?! HOW!?**_

"You have to leave. Now," he looks up at me his eyes burning with intensity.

"I-I-I can't. What about Chance? I can't j-just leave him!," I take a step back.

Nokto rolls his eyes," No, really? I was just gonna keep him hostage for the rest of my life, Violet. Of course you won't leave him! I'm going to go get him now, so you can leave. I don't want my... my feeling for you to grow," he swallowed, " It would only make things worse if you stay."

"Nokto... I-I-I don't even know what to say," I say closing my eyes. _How do I respond to this?_

"It's fine." he smiled. "When you leave, it'll be a lot easier. I just wanted to tell you... before you go. I'm...I'm going to get him, I'll be back soon." Nokto turned away, but then all at once, his lips were against mine. My eyes widened and I started to pull away but by the it was over, just as quickly as it began. I was too shocked to speak. _Did it even really happen? It had to of, why would I imagine it?_ Nokto walked out of the cave, but then turned and said," I'm sorry, Violet," then leaped out of my sight.

_Oh. My. god. Chance is going to flip._


	9. Chapter 9

Waiting in the cave was even worse than it had been before, now everything was different. _Nokto said he loved me... I don't even see how he came to that conclusion. Did I lead him on in some way? What did I do? He is probably just confused. I wonder if he has even been in love? Oh god, How am I gonna tell Chance about this? Maybe I shouldn't... not until we are far away. Yeah that's when I'll do it. It won't be lying if I eventually tell him, right? Oh god! Where could they be?_

I step out of the cave to look down the trail, but it was empty. The sun was making the air hot and sticky, my throat was dry and scratchy. _I need some water._ I walk out into the sunlight and feel my body temperature rise 10 degrees, the inside of my cast was beginning to itch. _Whew. _I turn away from Nokto's village to make my way down to the stream. I don't want to think about the day's events so I focus on the nature surrounding me. The bird's chirping happily, the breeze blowing through the trees, they way the dirt felt against my paws. Despite the heat, the day was beyond gorgeous, like something you read about in a fairytale. I take a deep breath of the fresh crisp air and continue down the path, listening to the woods around me. I hear the stream ahead, but the birds have gone silent, opening my ears for the sound of a slight rustle in the bushes up ahead_._

I stop walking and eye them suspiciously, the bushes rustled again, but not with the wind. The whole forest seemed to have lost all signs of life, no birds, no breeze, no noise. I begin to creep forward looking around innocently, like I had no idea that there was someone there. When it was about 10 feet away I increased my speed to a full on sprint and leaped into the air like a Machop and tackled the bush with all my brutality.

I heard someone grunt and felt them struggle against my weight. I start the claw at whoever it was viciously, sinking my nails into their flesh. I couldn't see with all the leaves in my face, but I hurt them screech in pain, so I slashed with more ferocity. They shifted underneath me and I lost my balance, sending both of us tumbling away from the bush. I landed face down in the dirt and my ankle was throbbing, the sudden intense pain was blurring my vision. I lifted my head slowly, searching the trees for who I had tackled.

I saw a white body a few feet away from me to my left. The body was white but the hair was a deep orange and red flaming brightly in every direction. _A Ponyta? It's Jack!_

"Jack," I called to him with my scratchy voice, struggling to stand," Jack, is that you?"

The white horse shifted into a sitting position, but it wasn't facing me. The white horse looked like Jack; tall, pale body, flaming red hair, a Ponyta. I would only know for sure if he talked to me... or if I saw his gorgeous pale blue eyes. The horse stood up and shook like a wet dog, sending embers in all directions, then turned to face me.

"Hello Violet," Jack spoke.

"JACK!," I rushed to him, but my leg's pain increased, so I collapsed onto the forest floor, not caring about the pain at all, " Jack, Oh thank god. Thank god you're okay!" I glance around him to look for a smaller body, but all I see are leaves and twigs. "Where is Theresa?"

Jack trotted over to me," It's good to see you too," he flashed his Hollywood smile," I'm fine. No broken bones," he winked with a devilish grin," and Theresa is in a safe place. I came to find Chance, he left a few days ago to look for you. I guess finding one of you is better than nothing," he winked again.

"So Theresa is okay? You found her?," I sighed with relief," I'm glad we are all safe."

Jack turned his look to the ground, clearing his throat, looking down,"Well...yeah. Except for Chance. We don't know where he is... like I said, he left a few days ago to find you... he never came back."

"Well, he did a good on his search and rescue mission, he found me," I smile and Jack looks up at me his mouth gaped open," It's a long story, but first I need some water. Can you help me up, Jack?"

He smile again," What are gentlemen for, my lady?" and he eased me up carefully with his snout. The movement still hurt my leg, but I hid the pain as well as I could. Jack frowned when I was standing," What happened to you? Where did you get that cast?"

"Long story," I mumble.

He gave a me a questioning look, "You're gonna have to tell me these long stories," but he didn't pressure me, Jack left it at that. "Why don't I take you to where you've been staying so we can get Chance, then I'll get you some water and go get Theresa?," he proposed.

"Sounds good to me," I say wincing from the abrupt pain caused by my movement. Jack and I walked back slowly, due to my annoying cast and I showed him the cave.

"Nice place," he said looking at it," Could use a woman's touch, though," he smiled.

"Shut up," I laughed.

"Where is Chance?, " Jack asked.

"Uhm..." I didn't know whether or not to tell Jack about Nokto. The fact that Nokto had almost killed Chance, might put Jack on edge. "He'll be back soon," I tell him.

"Okay," Jack shrugged it off," I'll go get water and Theresa. Don't get anywhere," he joked.

"Get out," I laughed, shooing him from the cave.

_YEAH! I FOUND THEM! Now we can all leave and get to Qurxoon Falls! _Everything was going back to normal. I could feel a gigantic weight being lifted off my chest. _Finally! I can't wait to tell Chance that Jack is coming._

The sun was sinking into the trees fast and I decided to start a fire for when the night gets cold. I heard talking down the trail and strained my ears to recognize the voices but they were too distant to tell. I sit and wait for either Jack and Theresa or Chance and Nokto to enter the cave, hoping that it was Jack and Theresa. I hadn't seen her in so long, I wanted to know that she was okay, but Chance hobbles into my vision.

His neck was bandaged and he walked with a slight limp, but all in all, he looked like Chance. _My hero._

"Hey you," he says standing in the entrance of the cave.

"Chance," my voice trembles. Chance was too good for me, he tried to save me, he was my everything. The fury, scruffy orange dog was my heart and soul. I didn't deserve him. He was perfect.

Chance's ears perk slightly as he comes to me," Hey. Hey, what's wrong? I'm okay, I promise. It's looks worse than what it is. It's okay. Don't cry. Don't cry, Violet," He nuzzled his nose into my neck. His act of affection only made me sob harder.

"CHANCE! CHANCE, I don't deserve you!," I weep loudly.

He pulls away to look me in the eye," What? What are you talking about, Vi?"

"You're too good for me," I sniffle looking the ground," You deserve someone better."

Chance lowers his face to mine," Don't ever say that, Violet. If anyone is lucky here, it's me. I'm the luckiest pup in the world to have met a girl like you. To have a girl like you. Don't you ever say different, you hear?"

"But Chance-"

"You hear?," he repeats.

"Okay."

Chance takes a deep breath," I'm so relived that you're okay, Violet. I was dying not knowing where you were or if you were safe," he nuzzles into me again and this time I nuzzle back. He feels so good, like warm blanket you want to wrap yourself in.

"I'm happy you're here. I was worried I had lost you," a tear slides down my cheek.

"Nope. Takes more than a bite to put old Chance out in the pasture," he chuckles.

"It's not funny Chance. Nokto could have killed you. They way they came in and rushed you out, I thought he had."

"I'm sorry. He could have, I know, but I saw you walking and thought he was.. I don't know, kidnapping you or something-"

"No," I jump in," He didn't Chance. Nokto saved me the night we all got separated. He saved my life."

"Mine too. You know, he's a pretty good guy," Chance said with some respect in his voice. _SHIT! It would be a lot easier if you didn't like him._

"No matter what, you'll always be my hero," I lean into him and listen to the rhythmic sound of his heart beat. _Why do you have to be so perfect, Chance? How am I going to tell you?_


End file.
